Can I hook up 6 speakers to one amp?

We receive many questions from our clients as a part of our consultation services and we’re going to start answering the most common questions for you on our YouTube channel. Make sure you subscribe above so you don’t miss out on some great info. And feel free to submit additional questions in the comments. ❓Can I hook up 3 pairs of speakers to a Sonos amp? The short answer: NO... for several reasons. Mitchell will tell you why in the video and give you other options around your budget and expectations! The long answer... When it comes to answering this question thoroughly, it is truly customized based on your expectations of your sound system. Do you want to be able to blast a football game on the TV in the living room while other friends listen to music softly and chat in the kitchen? Do you want to be able to turn off your outside music when you go inside and still have it playing inside? Once we walk through your lifestyle preferences, you’ll quickly understand why it is not a good idea to plug in more than one or two pairs of speakers (maximum!) into one 2-channel amp. 1. Separate Volume Control Each amplifier has one volume control. So, if you have two speakers in the living room and two speakers in the kitchen all wired to the same amplifier, they will share the same volume control. Think about how your lifestyle will be while using your speakers. If you’re going to enjoy watching some sports on your TV in the family room while some of your friends enjoy chatting in the kitchen with soft music playing in the background, you will want to have two separate amplifiers to support that scenario. 2. Sources Each amplifier creates a zone and that zone is a single source. So, all speakers connected to that amplifier will turn on and off together. Even if you’re okay with two rooms having the same volume control, as we discussed in #1, are you okay with both rooms always being on together and at the same volume? Our general recommendation is that there should be a dedicated amplifier per TV zone. Certain zones, like an outdoor patio and a courtyard are probably okay to group together in one zone, but the key is to think through how you will be spending your listening time and planning your equipment to match that lifestyle. 3. Total Amount of Power & How Much Power Each Amp Can Support Be very wary of skimping on your equipment to fit your budget. If you hook up 6 speakers to one Sonos Amp and you call Sonos to request a replacement when you have blown the amp, they will tell you that you voided your warranty by using the amplifier not as intended. Their amp is not engineered to power six speakers. A Sonos Amp is stable to 4 Ohms. Essentially, the Sonos Amp can power four speakers, both pairs playing right and left. Even if we work around a budget and just add an impedance matching volume and speaker selector for about an additional $200 (as opposed to $700 or so for another amp), it may solve some of the issues, but your independent volume control wouldn’t be from an app. You would have to physically adjust the volume controls from the knobs on the device. This is why you should consult a professional before you hook up your amp(s) and speakers. We offer free consultations to talk through your system and how you will be experiencing your audio/visual entertainment. Then, we consider your budget while we choose equipment that supports your lifestyle. If you’d like us to answer more questions like this about your audio/video and home automation system, drop them in the comment section! Reach out to MediaHead to schedule a free consultation about what you want out of your surround sound system. We can’t wait to customize a plan that works with your budget! Make sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel! www.mediahead.co